Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



w. w'. WALKER. FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 181-5.

Patented June 6, 1916:

llllll Sudam/toa 'Winesscs @www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. WALKER, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 MAGANDREWS & FORBES COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FIREEXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters 'Patent Patented June 6, 1916.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishing Apparatus, of whichv the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to fire-extinguishing apparatus and particularly to fire extinguishers of the type in which two distinct chemicals or solutions are held separate from each other, but which are allowed to mix when the fire occurs so as to produce foam and generate a gas which is noxious to the re.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a very simple container for two distinct chemical substances which may be very simply and economically constructed, but upon being inverted will cause a mixture of the substances to produce foam and generate a gas which is noxious to the ame.

A further object of the invention is to construct the container or holder of the apparatus in such a way that when it is utilized, the mixing of the substances takes place within the container and the -foam and gas generated by the two elements upon mixture may be projected toward the fire without actually 'throwing any of the liquid itself upon the fire.-

Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists in the general combination of parts and details hereinafter described, all of which contribute to produce an elicient fire-extinguishing apparatus.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a horizontal cross-section through the apparatus taken about on the line -y of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the device, certain parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is asection upon an enlarged scale, showing a detail of the apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 5 represents the container or holder for the substances which are to be used for extinguishing the lire, and this holder preferably comprises an outer casing 6, preferably of enlarged tubular or cylindrical form. The

extremities of this tubular casing 5 are pref; erably offset laterally circumferentially so as to form rounded convex beads 7 and 8.

The container is preferably formed of sheet copper. At the upper end, the container 1s provided with an upper head 11 preferably inthe form of a dome or hemispherical shell, and the lower edge of this shell or dome 11 is formed with a circumferential concave bead which lits over the. bead 7 and interlocks with it. These beads` are preferably brazed together. I prefer to provide a substantially conical base 13, the upperportion whereof has a diverging spherical flange 14 which receives and supports the edge of a dished head 9, and to which it is preferably brazed. And the edge of the flange 14 is formed with a concave bead 10 which is received over the convex bead 8 to which it is preferably brazed.

The apparatus preferably includes an inner compartment or holder 15 which is preferably in the form of a tubular shell of reduced diameter and disposed centrally within the outer shell 6. In order to make a water-tight connection at the bottom of this shell 15, I prefer to provide the shell with an outwardly extending integral collar or flange 16 which is preferably of spherical curvature so as to fit snugly against the inner side of the dished head 9 at its edges. The upper end of the inner container 15 is formed into a slightly reduced neck 17 on which there is seated a closure or cover 18. This cover 18 is not secured in place, but simply rests on the lip orupper edge of the inner container.

In order to provide means for attaching the outer cover or main cover 19 of the apparatus, I prefer to employ a thimble 20, the body of which has a substantially conical inner face 21 and a substantially spherical convex face 22 on its outer side.' This spherical face 22 seats against the inner side of the dome 11 at a central opening at 23a which is formed in the dome, and furthermore the thimble has an integral neck 23 which extends upwardly through the opening and is formed with external threads 25 extending in from its extremity 24. This thimble is preferably brazed in place and, furthermore, like all the other joints of the container are preferably similarly brazed. The cover 19 is preferably provided with an internally threaded neck 26 which screws on the outside of theneck, and in order to secure a tight closure at this point, I prefer to form the cover 19 with an integral end wheel or ring 27 connected to the edge of the cover 19 by substantially radial and od'- set arms 28.

` In order to enable the device to be easily portable, I prefer to provide the dome l1 on one side with a suitable handle, a portion of which is/indicated at 29 in Fig. 2.

It is understood that this fire extinguisher is intended to stand normally in the position illustrated in Fig. 2'with a solution which I shall call No. 1 in the inner compartment 15 and solution No. 2 in the outer compartment. These solutions preferably have substantially the following compositions:

Solution No. 1.

Sodium bicarbonate 8 parts Water 89 Foamite (secondary extract of licorice root) 3 Solution No. Z.

Aluminum sulfate 11 parts Water 89 The function of the licorice 'root extract is to produce foam when the two solutions are brought together and this foam of course deters the escape of the gases generated by the mixture, which are principally carbon dioxid, and hence when this foam is thrown upon the fire, it excludes the air by forming a blanket of foam, and consequently extinguishes the fire. In order to guide the inner cover 18 and to prevent it from .falling down into the space between case 6 and the inner container 15, I prefer to provide guiding means extending from the neck 17 to the thimble 20 and this guiding means is preferably simply in the form of substantially vertical bars 30 made out of hat metal and having outwardly bent slightly curved feet 31 which are brazed to the neck 17 of the inner container, The upper end of each guide bar has an outwardly disposed foot 32 which is brazed to the inner face of tla thinble 20. Y

When the container 5 is inverted the inner cover 18 falls by gravity onto the cover 19' which then forms the bottom of the outer container, whereupon there occurs a complete mixture of the two solutions. Their mixture generates considerable gas consisting principally of carbon dioxid. (002); above th surface of the mixed liquids i the outer container there is generated a large ouantity of foam. The gas is generated so rapidly and there is such a quantity of foam also generated that the. gas and foam escape at a high velocity through the hose 33 which is connected by a suitable nipple 34 with the end of the container which is the upper end when the extinguisher is in use,

inserate in other words, this nipple 34 is above the level of the mixed fluid when it is generating the noxious gas and foam. The use of this apparatus in the manner described, and allowing the foam and gas to escapefrom the container at a point above the level of the liquid is a method which I have invented and which is carried out by the present apparatus. When the container is inverted as suggested, the ring or Wheel 27 operates as a base or support for the container. Vhen the apparatus is standing in its normal position, the hose 23 is preferably held 1n a nearly upright position so that the nozzle 35 is above the level of the liquids. For

this purpose I prefer to provide a clip 36 attached on the side of the container and having two resilient aws 37 which clasp the hose between them, see Fig. 1.-

The inner cover 18 is relatively heavy so that it is not readily jarred out of position, and it has a relatively deep circumferential groove 18a on its under side which receives the lip of the neck 17. This deep groove tends to prevent the liquids from splashing from one receptacle into the other. These features particularly adapt the apparatus for use aboard ship where the apparatus may be subjected to a rockingmovement.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention set forth herein is only one of the many embodiments or forms the inven tion may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, to the particular embodiment set forth except as I may be limited by the terms of the appended claims. And I may use any feature of my invention without the other features.

What I claim is:

1. A re extinguisher, comprising, a tubular outer container, a tubular inner container .held therein, said containers having openings at corresponding ends, a thimble attached to the said outer container at the opening thereof and having a threaded neck extending outwardly through said opening, an outer cover screwed on said neck, an inner cover seating upon but unattached to the inner container, and substantially vertical guide bars connecting said thimble with said inner container;y

2. A portable lire extinguisher, comprising, an outer metallic shell having a closed bottom, an inner metallic shell of less length and cross-sectional diameter than the outer' shell, immovably fixed at its lower end with- .in the outer shell, said innerl and outer shells having openings at their corresponding ends, one of said openings being arranged below and in line with the other opening, an lattachablel and detachable closure for the open ing in the outer shell, a gravity seating closure normally overlying and closing the opening in the inner shell and adapted to fall by gravity out of seatingposition when f the extinguisher is inverted to effect a mixture of two foam producing solutions carried respectively in the two shells so as to produce therein a re extinguishing foam, and v"a hose attached to the normally lower end of the outer shell .whereby when said.

extinguisher is inverted, the point of attachment of said hose will be above the level of the liquid so that the generated foam may ge projected through the hose toward the '3. A re extinguisher, consisting of an outer tubular shell, a dished head attached to the lower end of said shell, an inner tubular container within said outer shell consisting of a cylinder having an integral outwardly extending flange secured t0 the inner side of said dished head, said inner container having a reduced neck at the upper end thereof, a gravity opening closure Jfor the upper end of the inner container operating to open upon the inversion of the lire extinguisher, said outer shell having a sub-- stantially spherical dome forming the upper end thereof, with an opening, a thimble having a bead seating against the inner face of said dome around the edge of said opening and having an externally threaded neck extending outwardly through the opening of said dome, a cover for the outer container screwed on said threaded neck, guide r bars attached to said thimble and to the neck of said\inner container for guiding the inner closure when the extinguisher is inverted, anda nipple at the end of the shell opposite said closures for the `attachment of a hose to project the gas generated by the mixture ofthe two substances in said extinguisher, toward the lire.

4. A fire extinguisher, comprising, a tubular outer container closed at one end and having an opening at the other, an inner container of less length than the outer container open at its upper end and having an integral outwardly extending ange at its lower end secured to the end closure wall of the outer container, a closure cap for the outer container, a movable closure normally seating upon the open end of the inner container, and adapted to fall by gravity out of seating position when the extinguisher is inverted, spaced guides connecting the upper ends of the inner and outer containers, and a hose connection at the lower end of the outer container.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

` WILLIAM W., WALKER. Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. BERGMANN,

W. WEST JORDAN. 

